Metallgiesserei Wilhelm Funke

What Metallgiesserei Wilhelm Funke does

Metallgiesserei Wilhelm Funke GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German specialty foundry based in Alfeld (Leine), founded in 1960 as an aluminium foundry and operating continuously for over 60 years. The business runs two adjacent facilities — a main foundry and headquarters on Röllinghäuser Straße and a model-making and machining department on Hannoversche Straße — and employs approximately 100 people with annual production capacity of roughly 350 tons. Its core offering is custom sand, chill, and differential pressure casting of aluminium (up to ~1,000 kg/piece), magnesium (up to ~300 kg/piece), heavy metals, and grey/nodular cast iron, complemented by a pilot plant for the Elektron differential pressure sand casting process targeting e-mobility and aerospace thin-wall structural parts.

The full in-house workflow spans CAD design using Autodesk tools, traditional and CNC-milled foundry model making, 3D-printed sand mould rapid prototyping, casting, eight CNC 5-axis machining centers (DMU and Hermle C50) for one-stop finishing, comprehensive quality management (X-ray, spectral analysis, tensile and microstructure testing, fluorescent penetrant inspection), and OR-Laser mobile laser welding for repair and correction of defects. The operation holds DIN ISO 9001 and EN 9100 (aerospace) certifications, with FPI personnel certified to DIN EN 4179, supporting access to safety-critical customer programs in aviation, space, automotive, railway, and mechanical engineering.

The commercial model is B2B custom manufacturing: customers supply drawings and specifications, and the foundry delivers finished cast and machined — and where required surface-finished — parts on a project-by-project quote basis with multi-year contracting arrangements. Revenue streams span custom casting manufacturing, laser welding services, reverse engineering for after-market and restoration, and a small catalog of own products (microlight/blokart wheels and DIN 32984 tactile guiding plates). Distribution is direct, primarily serving customers in Germany and broader Europe; there are no documented intermediary channels, external investors, or equity capital raising activities, and the company is governed by three Managing Directors (Wilhelm Funke, Jürgen Dreyer, Sascha Festing).

Name

Metallgiesserei Wilhelm Funke

Legal name

Metallgiesserei Wilhelm Funke GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://w-funke.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Metallgiesserei Wilhelm Funke is a privately held German specialty foundry in Alfeld, founded in 1960, producing custom aluminium, magnesium, and cast-iron sand castings and machined components for aerospace, automotive, railway, and mechanical-engineering customers. It operates an EN 9100-certified, ~100-employee operation with in-house design, casting, 5-axis CNC finishing, and quality control.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Metal Casting and Machining

NAICS

Special Die and Tool, Die Set, Jig, and Fixture Manufacturing (333514), All Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (33299), Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing (33272)

SIC

Nonferrous Foundries (Castings) (3360), Metal Forgings & Stampings (3460), Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products (3490)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Cutting Tools, Tooling & Workholding (Cutters, Inserts, Chucks, Fixtures) (IMAHADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Metal Forming & Fabrication Machines (Presses, Bending, Shearing, Stamping) (IMAHADAC), Sheet Metal Machinery (Laser/Plasma/Waterjet Cutting, Punching) (IMAHADAD)

Keywords

• Sand casting services
• CNC machining
• Metal foundry
• Rapid prototyping
• Reverse engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Alfeld

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Metal Casting Manufacturing: Produces custom cast parts and machined components based on customer specifications. Services include sand casting, chill casting, Kokillenguss (permanent mold casting), and differential pressure casting for aluminium, magnesium, heavy metal, grey cast iron, and nodular cast iron.
2. Laser Welding Services: Provides laser welding services as a service provider for both in-house castings and external customer parts. Mobile system allows on-site welding.
3. Reverse Engineering Services: Reproduction of castings for after-sales market, spare parts supply, and restoration projects. Includes 3D scanning, surface reconstruction, and manufacturing.
4. Own Products (Standard Catalog Items): Produces and sells own-developed products including lightweight wheels for microlights and blokarts, Bigfoot wheels, and guiding plates (Bodenindikatoren) for barrier-free construction per DIN 32984.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Metallgiesserei Wilhelm Funke is a custom metal casting foundry producing components, prototypes, and small series in aluminium, magnesium, heavy metal, grey and nodular cast iron, and chill castings. The company provides end-to-end manufacturing including CAD design, foundry model making, sand/chill/differential pressure casting, 5-axis CNC machining, rapid prototyping via 3D-printed sand moulds, reverse engineering, laser welding repair, and certified quality inspection, with an annual production capacity of approximately 350 tons.

Product overview

Metallgiesserei Wilhelm Funke is a medium-sized German foundry founded in 1960, offering a comprehensive portfolio of metal casting services and manufacturing capabilities. The company operates as a single unified foundry with integrated supporting services: core sand casting operations (aluminium, magnesium, grey/nodular cast iron, heavy metals, chill casting, and differential pressure casting) are complemented by in-house model making and CAD design, CNC mechanical processing with 8 five-axis machining centres, rapid manufacturing including 3D-printed sand moulds and reverse engineering, comprehensive quality management with X-ray and spectral analysis, and laser welding services. Additionally, the company manufactures and stocks its own products (lightweight wheels for microlights/blokarts and accessibility guiding plates). The operation processes approximately 350 tons of metal annually with approximately 100 employees, serving industries including aerospace (EN 9100 certified), automotive, railway vehicles, and mechanical engineering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sand Casting Services (Aluminium, Magnesium, Heavy Metal, Grey and Nodular Cast Iron) Custom sand casting of aluminium (up to ~1,000 kg/piece), magnesium (up to ~300 kg/piece), and heavy metals (up to ~35 kg/piece); grey and nodular cast iron produced via partner foundries for prototypes and small series. Provides components with exact dimensions, tight tolerances, and pressure tightness for industrial customers.
• Chill Casting (Kokillenguss / Permanent Mold Casting) Permanent mold casting of aluminium components up to approximately 5 kg per piece, coordinated with die building and final machining via qualified partner foundries.
• Differential Pressure Casting (DPSC) Vacuum-assisted sand casting using the Elektron DPSC process from MEL for thin-walled structural components (e-mobility), high-load castings for new drive concepts, and complex magnesium castings for aviation, delivering improved mechanical properties and repeatability versus gravity sand casting.
• Art Casting (Kunstguss) Casting of art objects, sculptures, bronze casting plates, and metal constructions using bronze, aluminium, magnesium, iron, wood, and plastic; supports bespoke sculptural and art projects.
• Production Model Making Hand-built foundry tools including wooden, plastic, and metal models, pattern plate equipment, and core boxes; modern CNC-milled production models; moulds, fixtures, gauges, and display/functional models for industrial customers.
• CAD Design Services 3D data creation and processing for foundry tools using Autodesk CAD/CAM software, accepting standard formats (Catia V5, Step, Iges, Pro E, Parasolid); includes 3D scanning and surface reconstruction from sample parts.
• Optical Measurement Services (ATOS ScanBox 5120) GOM ATOS ScanBox 5120 high-resolution 3D optical measurement for production model verification, first-article raw part inspection, best-fit alignment for machining, and 3D surface reconstruction for reverse engineering; maximum component size Ø 2000 mm, weight 500 kg.
• CNC Mechanical Processing (5-axis) 5-axis CNC milling, turning, and portal milling of customer-supplied castings or welded constructions, including assembly with procured purchased parts and component/function verification, carried out in a climate-controlled environment.
• Rapid Prototyping (3D-Printed Sand Moulds) 3D-printed sand mould parts for short delivery times and complex geometries, combined with traditional production models based on part geometry, quantity, and delivery requirements.
• Reverse Engineering Services Reproduction of castings for the after-sales market, spare parts supply, and restoration projects, using 3D scanning, surface reconstruction, and CNC manufacturing combined with traditional manual model making.
• Laser Welding Services (HTS Mobile 300W) Mobile laser welding repair of raw castings and correction of machining defects, also available as an external service for customer parts; processes aluminium, magnesium, steel, iron, stainless steel, titanium, nickel, bronze, and brass from sand casting, chill casting, die casting, precision casting, milled or forged solid material parts.
• Surface Finishing Services Surface treatment and coating of ready-to-install components coordinated with qualified partner companies, reducing customer logistics and procurement costs.
• Quality Management & Inspection Services Comprehensive quality inspection services including spectral analysis for alloy composition, tensile testing, microstructure evaluation, X-ray inspection for internal defects, pressure tightness testing, and fluorescent penetrant inspection per DIN EN ISO 3452-1 with personnel certified per DIN EN 4179 for aerospace work.
• Own Products - Lightweight Aluminium Wheels for Microlights and Blokarts Standardized high-quality aluminium cast wheels for microlights and blokarts, including Bigfoot wheels (21x12.00/8) for Big-Foot/CadCat models; sea water-resistant with maintenance-free encapsulated roller ball bearings for 20 mm axles; available with optional painting, disc brake mounting, or ball bearings.
• Own Products - Tactile Guiding Plates (Bodenindikatoren) per DIN 32984 Cast tactile attention fields and ground indicators (guiding plates and grooved plates for blind and visually impaired persons) manufactured to DIN 32984 for barrier-free construction in public traffic areas, stair marking, and platform marking.

Quantifiable outcome

• Short delivery times through flexible production orientation and 3D-printed sand mould rapid prototyping
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Handtmann Leichtmetallgießerei: German aluminium and magnesium light-metal foundry with integrated CNC machining, supplying automotive and mechanical engineering customers. Directly comparable scope of casting plus machining services.
• Bodine Aluminum: US specialty aluminium foundry producing sand, permanent mould, and investment castings for aerospace, defense, and industrial markets. Comparable in scope (sand casting of light metals for safety-critical applications) but geographically separate.
• KSM Castings Group: German light-metal foundry (aluminium and magnesium) serving automotive and industrial customers with sand, gravity, and low-pressure casting. Closely comparable to Funke in material mix, customer verticals, and Mittelstand positioning.
• RWP GmbH: German specialist steel and iron precision foundry producing complex castings for railway, commercial vehicles, and mechanical engineering. Comparable as a German Mittelstand foundry with similar customer mix (railway, mechanical engineering).
• Martinrea Honsel Germany: German light-metal die-casting and sand-casting foundry (aluminium/magnesium) for automotive structural components. Similar material focus and aerospace/automotive customer base as Funke, though at larger scale.

Emerging players

• Dynacast: Global precision die-casting and metal injection moulding specialist serving automotive, industrial, and consumer markets. Adjacent precision metalforming capability but focused on smaller components than Funke's sand-cast structural parts.

Broad incumbents

• Endurance Technologies: Indian aluminium die-casting and sand-casting supplier serving automotive OEMs globally. Overlaps with Funke in aluminium casting for automotive applications, but at much higher serial-production scale.
• Nemak: Mexican-headquartered global supplier of aluminium castings (HPDC, gravity, sand) primarily serving automotive powertrain and structural applications. Comparable in aluminium casting capability and customer overlap, though significantly larger and globally distributed.
• Georg Fischer Casting Solutions (GF): Swiss-based global casting group producing iron, steel, and aluminium components for automotive, industrial, and aerospace markets. Overlaps with Funke in light-metal and complex casting but operates at substantially larger scale with broader portfolio.

Regional players

• Voit Automotive: German automotive die-cast and sand-cast aluminium specialist serving premium OEMs. Comparable light-metal casting capability with strong automotive exposure, though primarily larger serial-production programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Metallgiesserei Wilhelm Funke